Sing Down the Moon
by StrwbryPcky
Summary: [AU][Multiple pairings] Ryou is caught up in a tangled web of love. Will he ever escape?
1. Chapter 01

A/N: Well, here it is. My very first fic. ^_^ I'm kinda proud of myself. LOL I'm really nervous about it though. I'm afraid of getting one small detail wrong and having everyone think I don't know anything. (Hey………I'm new at this!)  I've also decided that it doesn't matter if I get a lot of reviews or not because I'm just going to feel good about being able to write something that I'm satisfied with for once. Well, now that I'm done rambling, here goes nothing! ^_^ 

Disclaimer: Nope! Don't own it. ^_^ 

Sing Down the Moon 

"Bakura, what are you doing?"

Bakura jumped as he heard Ryou's voice. Thinking fast, he whipped around, coming face-to-face with the said boy. Bakura hastily hid the spatula he held behind his back and laughed nervously. 

"What are you doing up so early, Ryou?"

Ryou glared at Bakura. "You didn't answer my question." 

"You didn't answer mine either."

"You first."

"Fine!" Bakura growled. He muttered something under his breath and the slightly blush settled on his cheeks. 

"What was that, _Baku-chan_?" Ryou taunted in a sing-songy voice.

"I _said _I fixed you breakfast," the other boy ground out between clenched teeth. "Are you happy now? You better be because you're answering _my _question now."

Ryou just laughed and sidled closer. "I have school," he murmured almost distractedly. He placed his hand on Bakura's forehead to feel for a fever. Small wrinkles formed on Ryou's forehead as his eyebrows were drawn close together, heart-felt concern gracing his features. It annoyed Bakura to think that everyone presumed he was either sick or trying to kill them all when he just decided to do something nice once in a while. "You're a little warm. Are you sure you feel okay?" 

"I'm fine," Bakura whispered, trying to reassure the smaller of the two that he wasn't really sick. However, he knew that the unusually soft tone of voice he had used just caused even more concern to practically radiate off the boy in waves. "Just go sit down……...the food should ready in a few minutes. I'm sure you'll like it." 

Ryou smiled and gladly obeyed, pulling out a chair and sitting down at the table. He closed his eyes and unconsciously raked a hand through his shoulder length silver locks. It was an old habit, one that usually meant he was stressing out about something or was in deep thought; thus was the exact circumstance now. 

Ryou definitely had a lot of things on his mind, most of which had to do with a certain blonde Egyptian from school. It was true he had liked Malik for some time now, but the problem was: Ryou was sure Malik didn't even know he existed. He probably wouldn't even give him a second glance! Plus, Malik probably wasn't even………like that. He just didn't seem like the type. After all, Ryou had never seen Malik's attention given to anyone but those rabid school slash fan girls. Those idiotic girls would practically swoon at the mere sight of Malik and had even gone as far as starting a fan club dedicated solely for him. 

However, he really shouldn't be saying nasty things about those girls because after all, he, Bakura Ryou, was the same way. He just wasn't as………vocal………about it as they were. 

Ryou snapped out of his delusions as a plate of food was set in front of him on the small dinner table. Even though he had no clue what it was, it looked absolutely delicious! He'd definitely have to thank Bakura for it. He didn't know what had gotten into the boy, but what ever it was, he sure did like it.  

Grinning, Ryou looked up at Bakura to tell him how much his cooking had improved and how good the breakfast looked. But instead, Ryou's attention was drawn to the clock hanging on the opposite wall. 

Bakura started when Ryou gasped. 

"Bakura, I'm gonna be late for school!" Ryou wailed as he stood up. The chair he previously sat on made a loud "thud" as it collided with the wooden floor. 

Ryou clambored up the stairs, taking them two-by-two. He nearly crashed into a wall more than once before he made it to his bedroom. He grabbed the Sennen Ring – an Egyptian artifact his father had gotten on an archaeological dig – from the bedpost and his backpack, then hurried down the staircase once more. 

"Bye, Bakura," Ryou yelled as he slipped on his sneakers. The door slammed shut behind him as he left the house, leaving a lonely feeling to linger in the atmosphere. 

Back in the kitchen, Bakura sat across from the space Ryou had previously occupied. Silent and unmoving, he gazed forlornly at the meal he had spent so long making – pancakes with syrup; true western food. 

Without thinking twice, he grabbed the plate and shuffled over to the garbage can. With a heavy heart, Bakura scraped the dish clean and placed it in the sink. 

-=*=-

Ryou hurried through the winding and twisting halls of Domino High School as fast as he could. The last thing he needed was a detention from his ever-grumpy homeroom teacher. After all, he was a good kid and good kids weren't _supposed _to get in trouble! He laughed mentally at the thought. Sure, he was a teacher's pet, and sure, he was the perfect student in his teachers' eyes, but he was far from being as innocent as he looked. 

He really had Bakura to thank for that, because Bakura wasn't just any regular person. He was actually the spirit of the Sennen Ring, and he had taught Ryou a lot of things; teaching Ryou how to stick up for himself and to cuss being two of Bakura's favorite lessons. 

It all started a couple of years back. Bakura-san, Ryou's father, had just gotten back from one of his archaeological digs. He had been in Egypt, studying and doing research on ancient artifacts. And as luck had it, when Bakura-san was there, he saw the perfect gift for his son at the marketplace. It was a sort of necklace; on the leather strap hung a large ring that was fitted around a pyramid that was just a bit smaller than the ring itself and on the face of the pyramid was a eye. Around the outside of the ring were five pointed dangles. 

When Ryou had received the Sennen Ring, he had been absolutely thrilled. He told Bakura-san over and over that he was the best dad ever, and the rest of the time Bakura-san was there, Ryou practically floated around the house. Yes, it was great to be him. That was, until he met Bakura. After Ryou's father had left to go on another dig about a week later, Bakura appeared for the first time. It had scared Ryou at first, the bad temper and the attitude the spirit had, but after a while he got used to it. They had gotten to know each other and it wasn't that bad. Until Bakura decided he would take over Ryou's body. That made the boy mad and he refused to talk to Bakura for a month. He honestly didn't appreciate his somewhat – and some times total – psychotic yami messing with his friends and putting them in danger. After all, they had originally thought it was him. 

Poor Bakura, trying to explain _that _to his friends. Luckily, Yuugi knew exactly how he felt, because he himself also had a Sennen Item. He owned the Sennen Puzzle, and his yami – unlike Ryou's, who was a tomb robber – was the Pharoah of Egypt millennia ago. Yes, Yuugi knew exactly what it was like to have a yami. And that was why Ryou and Yuugi were best friends; even if their yamis were sworn enemies. 

Speaking of Yuugi, Ryou should have met him by the water fountain outside of homeroom exactly fifteen minutes ago. He just hoped Yuugi wasn't going to be mad at him. Still, that didn't seem like the kind and forgiving Motou Yugi he knew. All Ryou would have to do was explain to him that he had been running late today. Yes, Yuugi would understand; the boy wasn't one to get mad over something as ridiculous as that. 

Skidding to a halt in front of a long row of lockers, Ryou quickly zoned in on Locker #48 – his locker. His fingers nimbly worked the pad lock and in a matter of a few seconds he had managed to unlock his locker, unpack his backpack, grab his books, and start to make his way back to homeroom. 

The halls started to look almost deserted; a sign that meant the bell was bound to ring in a few minutes. Thankfully, it would be easier to get to his classroom without trying to dodge all those people like he had to do earlier. 

Ryou hurried around a corner and at the same time bumped into someone, both of them dropping their books. 

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking and I –" Quiet laughing stopped his stuttering and his looked up into a pair of lavender eyes. 

"Malik-kun!" Ryou gasped, with what sounded like nothing less than reverence. "Here, let me help you." 

Ryou proceeded to gather up the pile of books on the floor while Malik sized the silver-haired boy up. He looked familiar………

"You're in my homeroom and you're in my math class, aren't you?" Malik asked, finally able to place the boy. 

"H-hai," Ryou replied timidly. He swore he could feel his face heat up with embarrassment as he blushed furiously. 

Malik just gave him his award-winning smile and gratefully accepted his books from the smaller boy's arms. "Well, Ryou, since we're both going to the same place, why don't I walk you to class?"

Ryou's heart leapt with excitement and his stomach filled with butterflies. "That sounds good." 

Ryou smiled inwardly. He had a feeling today was definitely going to be a good day. 

-=*=-

End Sing Down the Moon: Part 01

A/N: Wai wai! So………how do you like it so far? Do you think I should continue? Have any suggestions for the plot or the pairings? Have any comments or critism? 

Well………I actually like it so far, but I want to know what you guys think. I put a lot of effort into it, so I really want to hear from you. Pretty please with sugar on top. ::gives readers the puppy eyes:: Reviewers get some strawberry pocky! ^.~ 

Please review! ^_^ Ja! 

~StrawberryPocky 3  


	2. Chapter 02

A/N: ::sniffles:: ::hugs reviewers:: You guys are great! I got a lot of reviews………I was so excited! ^_^ They gave me the motivation to write more. Domo arigato gozaimasu! I got so many wonderful suggestions and wow! ^_^ I'm really excited now. LOL

Oh yeah, I meant to mention that this was sort of AU. ::blushes:: Since I'm not really sure what's going on with Malik during Battle City. I just watch the dub (::gags::) on, I think, Kids WB. They just stopped right in the middle of the season and started replaying Battle City from the beginning. SO, I've decided Malik is still going to own the Sennen Rod, but Battle City isn't going to happen. Or something around those lines. But Bakura and Malik are definitely going to know each other. (Sorry…just try to bear with me) Sorry for any confusion and inconvenience I've caused! Oh! And I have more stuff to talk about at the bottom………

But until then………on with the fic! ^_^

Sing Down the Moon – Chapter 02 

Luckily, the bell hadn't rung before Malik and Ryou got to their classroom.  

"A-ano………arigato, Malik-kun," Ryou said shyly. He thought for a moment and added, "Maybe………we could………hang out sometime." 

Malik smiled and held the door open for Ryou. "I'd like that. Maybe you could come over to my house tomorrow, if you'd want to." 

"Of course!" Ryou exclaimed as he stepped through into the room. He couldn't help the grin that plastered itself on his face – after all, it wasn't every day that so many good things started happening to him! 

"Well, I guess I'll talk to you later than?" Malik asked hopefully. 

The silver-haired boy nodded enthusiastically and walked off to find his friends. 

"Ryou-kun!" 

Ryou made his way to the back of the classroom. 

"Ryou, where were you this morning? I was looking all over for you! Are you okay? I waited for you by the water fountain for what seemed like forever but you never came. Are you all right?" That was Yuugi. Always so worried about other people, even when he should be worrying about himself. 

"Gomen nasai, Yuugi. I was running late and I just barely made it to school on time. I'm sure you understand." 

Yuugi smiled brightly at his friend. "Hai. I'm just glad you're okay. I was worried because you're never late and I figured you were either really sick or something bad happened." 

"No, I'm fine." Ryou paused for a moment before he remembered the good news he had to tell Yuugi. 

"Oh!" Ryou nearly squealed. "You won't _believe _what just happened to me!"

"What?" 

"Malik-kun invited me over to his house tomorrow!!!" 

Yuugi had to laugh at his friend. He was sure if Ryou had said that with any more emotion there would have been dozens of tiny pink hearts flying around the room. 

"Congratulations, Ryou-kun," Yuugi said. "Wait. When did you say you were going?"

"Tomorrow. Why?" Ryou asked, a little confused.

Yuugi's face fell and he responded half-heartedly, "I guess that means you won't be able to come to my birthday party tomorrow, ne?"

The silver-haired boy sunk down in a chair next to his smaller friend. "Yuugi, don't be sad. I forgot all about your party – believe me, if I had remembered, I would have told him we could have hung out another day. Yuugi, you understand, don't you? I –"

"It's okay, Ryou. You and I both know that you wouldn't have turned down Malik for anything. It's a once in a lifetime chance. After all, it's not every day that the most popular boy in school wants to hang out with you, right?" Yuugi gave Ryou a weak smile, which was all he could muster. "I hope you have a great time, Ryou. I'll miss you since you're not going to be able to make it." 

Yuugi turned his attention back to a piece of paper he had being absently doodling on before Ryou appeared. He seemed hurt. No, Yuugi was truly and definitely hurt. And it was all his fault. Ryou felt more than guilty. The feeling he felt was something akin to helplessness. And he vaguely wondered who felt worse: Yuugi or him?

Ryou faced forward in his chair so he wouldn't have to deal with seeing Yuugi looking so down. He shouldn't have done it. Kami-sama. Honestly, what was his problem? He knew that Yuugi had spent so long planning his party. In fact, he had helped Yuugi with all the rearrangements; from sending out the invitations, to buying the decorations, and even making the cake! Yuugi had been so excited about it all………he couldn't believe that he was finally going to be turning sixteen. 

He had told Ryou he wanted it to be special, so he would always remember it. He said that not only would he remember the actual party itself, but all the fun he had putting it together with his best friend. But now what was he going to remember? How his so-called best friend wasn't even at his party? Why? Because Ryou was too busy hanging out with Malik, who was his god. He'd rather spend time with someone who, until now, hadn't given him a second glance than be with his best friend. 

Yuugi tried to hold back his tears with all his might. Still, he couldn't stop one lone tear that trailed down his face. 

-=*=-

After what seemed like an eternity, the bell rang, signaling it was time for their next class. Ryou hurriedly gathered up his books and rushed out of the classroom. 

He didn't want to dwell on what had happened with Yuugi. It just made him feel more horrible. Besides, why spend time feeling guilty when he could thinking about Malik instead? 

But that was wrong, right? But then again, he might never have an oppurtunity to be with Malik again. Who knows – maybe if Ryou hadn't been late, he would have never even talked to Malik. Was it destiny or did they meet by chance? He'd like to think it was the first of the two, but in reality he knew it was just a mere coincidence – he was at the right place at the right time. Nothing more, nothing less. 

Almost dreamily, Ryou walked off to his next class, which happened to be Math class. Maybe if he was lucky he could get there fast enough to snag a seat by Malik before the fabid fangirls slash stalkers hogged them all. Unfortunately, by the looks of it, he wasn't sitting within ten of Malik. Every day, those girls would sit in the desks so that there was only one open and they were totally surrounding it. Then they would call to Malik in their obnoxious high-pitched voices and would give loud, dramatic sighs when he looked at them and they would pretend to be interested in every word he said when really they weren't paying attention at all.  

Grrrrrr.

Ryou felt jealousy rise up in him. He couldn't compete with any of those girls; he didn't stand a chance. He was a boy. All Malik would ever see him as was a friend, because he couldn't give him what a girl could. 

Now in a bad mood, he stalked over to the other side of the room, sitting as far away from that one desk he knew Malik would sit down in. Plopping down in the uncomfortable wooded chair, he threw his books down on the desktop, causing several students to jump. Acting a bit immature, Ryou crossed his arms over his chest and pouted, waiting impatiently for class to begin. He closed his eyes and listened to what was going on around him. 

Faintly, he heard the loud chatter of those girls, then the time when they paused as Malik walked into the classroom, then erupted in a bout of giggling and chitchat once again. 

"Oh Malik! Come and sit with us!" 

"Malik, sit by me!"

"Where are you going, Malik?"

If Ryou had had his eyes open, he surely would have rolled them.  

"Is anyone sitting here?" 

Ryou tried once more to shut out the babble that just seemed to get louder. 

"Is anyone sitting here?"

Ryou realized that maybe someone was talking to _him_. Opening his eyes, but not looking up, he just shook his head. 

"Well then, Ryou, can I sit here?" 

His head shot up. 

"Malik, don't sit by _him, _sit by _us_!"

"Sure. I don't mind," Ryou replied, searchingly gazing into the taller boy's eyes. "How come you're not sitting by them? I thought you were best friends with all of them."

Malik glanced over his shoulder momentarily then snorted. 

"Who? Those girls?" he asked. Ryou nodded. "Kami-sama, I'm lucky if I can get away from them for three seconds. If there were no guys bathrooms here, I don't know what I'd do." 

Both of them laughed at this.  

"So what you mean to say is, you don't really like being popular?" Ryou inquired timidly, after their laughter had died down. 

Malik just shrugged in an uncaring manner. "It's good an all, but it's almost like you're living up to everyone's expectations. Like you have to be perfect. Then there's always people who follow you around and worship the ground you walk on like you're a freakin' god or something. I mean, sometimes I just wish people would treat me like a normal person, not someone better than them.

"I think that's why I like you, Ryou. You don't bow down at my feet like everyone else does. You treat me like a best friend; how I want to be treated." 

Ryou blushed a little and smiled a little. Malik was everything and more than he had dreamed of. Sweet, kind, friendly, handsome, funny. Every thing he always wanted and more. 

After a few moments of silence, Ryou spoke. 

"So what are you doing after school today?"

Malik shrugged again. "I don't know. Depends." 

"Well, I was wondering if you wanted to come over to my house after school and maybe have some ice cream and play video games or something." As an after-thought, he hastily added, "But only if you want to!"

"Sugoi! I love ice cream!" the blonde chuckled. 

Ryou let out a relieved sigh. "That's good………I'll meet you by the big tree out in front right after school, okay?"

The taller boy nodded and as the teacher began to talk, both turned their attention to the front of the room. 

-=*=-

For Ryou, the rest of the day drug by tauntingly slow. By the time the dismissal bell rang, he didn't think he could have waited any longer. He was both nervous and excited about going to get ice cream with Malik. But if he wanted to get to know him better, now was a better time than never. 

Ryou lingered behind a bit so that it would be easier to spot Malik. And sure enough, just as he had told him, Malik was standing beneath the huge, old tree Ryou had told him to wait by. 

Malik, seeing Ryou, met him halfway. 

"I was starting to wonder if you were ever coming. Always late for everything?" Malik teased, grinning. 

Ryou blew a raspberry. "No. I was waiting so it would be easier to find you." 

"Ah, sensible _and _shares my love of ice cream and video games. I could get used to you, kid." 

"I sure hope so!" the smaller boy said indignantly, holding his head a little higher as they walked down the sidewalk. 

Malik laughed and held his hands up in mock surrender. "Okay, okay, you win!

"So, do you live pretty close to school?"

The mahogany-eyed boy nodded. "Hai. Just a couple of blocks. We should be there in just a matter of a few minutes."

"It must be nice living so close to school. My house is about twenty minutes away and I have to walk because Isis has already left for work and there is no way I'm riding my motorcycle to school!"

"You own a motorcycle?" Ryou breathed. "Sugoi~!"

Malik laughed and nodded. "Yep." 

"And I take it Isis is your sister?"

"Mmm-hmm."

"So why doesn't your mom or dad drop you off at school?"

Malik kicked a rock and kept his eyes glued to the ground. "My parents are dead," he managed quietly. 

Ryou wanted to smack himself. He felt so stupid! He just met the guy and already he's bringing up subjects he probably wouldn't want to discuss! He did know _that_ for a fact. His own mother passed away when he was just a toddler. 

"My mother died when I was a little boy. My dad's an archaeologist and he's never home, so I really don't have any parent figures in my life, either. I know how it feels, believe it or not." 

"I guess it's not that bad, because I never really knew them. My mom died in childbirth and my dad was murdered when I was a kid. After that, Isis just kind of took care of me. We lived in Egypt until about a year ago, when we moved here."

"Wow………you lived in Egypt? A few years back my father was there for a dig. He told me all about it and I've even done a little research on it myself. It's so………intruiging. I've even gotten a necklace from Egypt. It looks more like a big ring, but it's a necklace all right. Would you like to see it?"

Malik's eyes widened. Could he be talking about………the Sennen Ring? He highly doubted it. Nevertheless, it wouldn't hurt to check, would it? Enthusiastically, he nodded his head. "I'd love to see it. It sounds very interesting." 

"Okay, I'll show it to you as soon as we get inside and get our ice cream," Ryou agreed as they stopped in front of what must have been his house. 

It was a quaint little home, cozy nontheless. It matched Ryou's taste perfectly, from the rows of flowers planted along the front of the house to the "welcome" doormat. The inside was the same. Expensive paintings adorned the walls and expensive oriental rugs graced the wooden floors. The rooms were filled with oversized chairs and couches, all of them comfortable enough to fall asleep in. 

"Ah, this is it!" Ryou beamed. "Why don't you go sit down and I'll get us some ice cream. The dining roon is down the hall, first door to the right." 

Malik smiled and shuffled through the small corridor, and into the appointed room. 

He gasped. Inside stood a boy that looked exactly like Ryou but a little older, who was putting china plates into a cupboard high above the shelf.  The boy stopped midair when he heard the noise. He slowly turned around and it was the boy's turn to gasp. 

The delicate saucer slipped from his shaking hands, shattering into a million tiny pieces on the floor. 

"Malik?!"

-=*=-

A/N: Hey! StrawberryPocky here again! ^_^ Ah, so there we go. I'm not sure if I like this as much as the first chapter. Not a lot seems to go on. The Yuugi thing was totally unexpected. But of course I had a lot of things I took out………Ryou thinking naughty thoughts about Malik during Math class was one of 'em. ^.~ I was going to have Ryou and Malik get their books mixed up when they fell and Malik's would have a paper in it with 'Ryou' written all over it, or vice-versa. 

But yeah………forgive any spelling and grammar mistakes. It's four in the morning right now. ~_~ I have to get up in two hours, so I probably won't even go to bed. Oh the things I do for you people! LOL You guys deserved it with all those kind reviews………you sure do know how to spoil a girl! LOL So as I promised: ::hands reviewers some pocky:: ^_^

Now remember, please review! ^_^ Signing out………

~StrawberryPocky


	3. Chapter 03

A/N: ::sighs:: Well, here it is…the third installment of Sing Down the Moon. I'm really really sorry that it's taken me so long to update. I hope you guys like this chapter…I sure don't. I hope you're not disappointed…I'll try to have a longer chapter next time. It just seemed like a good place to stop.

Again, thanks to all my wonderful reviewers. I appreciate all these reviews so much. ::cries:: It helps me to write, especially when I feel like all I can write is crap.

-=*=-

Malik was stunned. Bakura had been living here? For how long and why? Bakura had said he was leaving for good. Didn't that mean out of the town? Maybe even out of Japan? Yes, Malik thought back to that day that seemed so long ago…

"Bakura, what are you doing here? Didn't Mariku tell you he was going out tonight?" Malik asked as he landed spread-eagle on his yami's bed, where Bakura was packing his things into a suitcase. "What are you doing?"

The white-haired boy forcefully shoved a shirt, which seemed to be the last item, into his suitcase and tugged hard at the zipper. "I broke up with Mariku."

"You _what_?!" The blonde exclaimed, hurriedly trying to push himself up. "Why?"

"We got into a fight. He didn't like it that I had to cancel plans with him so we started yelling at each other. Mariku was pretty mad and he told me to gather up my stuff and leave." Bakura inhaled deeply and sat next to Malik. 

"You—you know how Mariku is. You know he doesn't really mean it when he says that stuff. I can't believe you're actually listening to him."

"It will be better this way¾ "

Malik interupted him. "How can you say this stuff? How can you tell me that it will be better? Damnit, Bakura, you're leaving! And this is supposed to be _better_?" He fell back onto the soft bed and curled up on his side, making sure that his back was to Bakura. He began again, softer this time. "It's not going to be better…because I won't be able to see you." 

And a lone tear fell from his eye, slowly sliding across his nose and creating a wet spot on the comforter.

That had been a long time ago: nearly two years. Two long, lonely years. However, it didn't mean that Malik had stopped missing Bakura. In fact, he thought of him every day, wishing that he would come back. 

So, why was it so hard? Why did Malik feel it was hard to talk to Bakura now? It was never a problem trying to speak with Bakura before. Malik wracked his brain for something —anything—to say. _What,_ he thought, _do you talk about to someone who you haven't seen in years?_ Maybe it was because in that time, Malik had changed immensely. He had changed, but what about Bakura? 

_Well, there's only one way to find out. _Malik took a deep breath. "I've missed you, Bakura." It was said simply, but it the words had come straight from his heart. It was the truth: nothing more and nothing less. 

"I've missed you, too," Bakura responded slowly, as if he were surprised.

In one movement that was as quick as lightning, Malik flung himself at the yami. He couldn't help himself. He knew he must have been grinning like a total idiot, but he couldn't help it. "I've missed you so much," he murmured against Bakura's hard chest. "When you left, everything fell apart. I felt like I had lost a part of myself. You were my best ¾_only_—friend. You were like a brother to me. No one cared about me like you did."

"Mariku did. Mariku cared about you."

"No! He didn't! He's never cared about me. I am his host and that is it. He has never felt anything more for me. He¾"

"Malik! I got the ice cream! I hope vanilla is okay with you!" Ryou called out happily as he entered the room carrying two small dishes of ice cream. His face fell immediately when he saw his yami and the boy he had admired for what seemed like forever in such a close embrace. "Uh…was I interrupting anything?"

Malik and Bakura broke apart rather quickly and both laughed nervously.

Ryou set the bowls down on the table, trying to act calmly and ignore what he had just seen and failing miserably. "If I were sure you two didn't know each other I would do introductions, but I have a feeling you're already quite acquanted." He said it in a way that made Bakura wince. His hikari had been so touchy lately. He wished he knew the reason for it…it might make his life a whole lot easier. Living with a grumpy Ryou was like living with a woman. Bakura never did understand females¾they were _always_ emotionally troubled about something. 

"Malik, do you want some chocolate syrup on our ice cream?" Ryou asked somewhat impatiently. When the blonde nodded and smiled, Ryou made sure to escape to the kitchen as quickly as possibe. 

"What is wrong with me?" he voiced angriy. Silently, he wished someone were there to answer for him. When he had seen Bakura and Malik so close, Ryou couldn't hep the jeaousy that had coursed through his veins. He knew Malik didn't belong to him ¾and more than likely never would¾ but to see him with Bakura hit a nerve inside of him…

_No_, Ryou thought firmly. I _deserve to be with Malik. I don't care _how_ selfish it seems_.

-=*=-

After Ryou and Malik had eaten their ice cream in an uncomfortable silence ¾Bakura had politely excused himself from the room and left the two alone¾ Malik stood.

"I hate to say this," Malik announced with sincere regret, "but since I didn't tell anyone I was going to be at a friend's after school, I better head home."

"Yes, I understand. It's really okay." Ryou stood also and pushed in his chair. He couldn't say he was that disappointed to see Malik go, but he _was _disappointed that having his "idol" over hadn't been anything like he had hoped for. Ryou led Malik to the door, where they exchanged "good-byes" and "see you laters." 

"Ja!" Malik shouted one last time and ran down the sidewalk in a hurry to get home. 

As Ryou closed the door, a loud and drawn out sigh of relief fell from his lips. Now that Malik was gone he could finally interrogate Bakura. As he scrambled upstairs to Bakura's room, questions ran through his mind in an endless array. He wanted to know the answers to all of them as quickly as possible. He wanted to be able sate his curiousity and douse the flames of the uneasiness that filled him. 

Without even as much as a knock, Ryou burst into Bakura's room. When he found himself staring into a pair of cocoa eyes, so like his own, he had second thoughts. Even though Ryou was close to Bakura, it seemed awkward to ask such questions. So as they stood there unmoving and silent, Ryou's mind began to wander once more. _Wait a second. Malik was hugging Bakura and…I don't think I've ever seen Bakura so happy. Does that mean…Bakura and Malik are…lovers? I would have known for sure, right? I should know…but I don't…_

He was scared by that proposition. He felt a sharp pang of jealousy hit him. However, it quickly turned to anger. _I want Malik to be _mine. _I can't believe Bakura wouldn't have told me before…I tell him _everything!

And in a flurry of whirling thoughts, Ryou lashed out. His open hand connected quarely with Bakura's cheek and the slap resounded off the walls of the quiet room. The spirit stumbled backwards and tripped over a chair that was behind him, caushing him to fall to the floor quite painfully.

Bakura hissed and brought a hand up to cup his injured cheek. He couldn't believe what had just happened. Ryou, his _hikari _of all people, had just slapped him! Something was definitely wrong…

His gaze fell on his lighter half and their eyes met for a moment. The room was silent, save for Ryou's harsh, shallow breathing. It was then that Ryou realized what he had just done and fled from the room completely mortified.

_Why can't I do _anything _right for once?_

-=*=-

A/N: ::pulls out her hair:: This is horrible! My writing sucks…I deserved to get flamed for this. I hate how this turned out. I've been wracking my brain 24/7 since the last time I updated trying to figure out how Bakura knew Malik. 

A special thanks goes out to MistressOfBakura, who kept bugging me about updating. The other day I was talking to her and we were laughing because in here review she said, 'Email me when you update!' and I've emailed her tons of times but I still haven't updated! ^^ So this is to you, MoB. Thanks for all your encouragement and for just being there. ::hugs:: You're a great friend. 

~StrawberryPocky 3


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